Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Asml Netherlands B.v.

Carl-zeiss-smt Ag

Ulrich Loering

Norbert Wabra

Wilhelm Ulrich

Toralf Gruner

Daniel Kraehmer

Stefan Hembacher

Guido Limbach

Holger Walter

Franz-Josef Stickel

Norman Baer

Franz Sorg

Vladan Blahnik

Markus Hauf

Jens Kugler

Bernhard Geuppert

Timo Laufer

Oliver Natt

Jan Van Schoot

Gero Wittich

Yim-Bun-Patrick Kwan

Peter Kuerz

Karl-Heinz Schuster

Joerg Mallmann

Bernhard Gellrich

Ulrich Wegmann

Stefan Xalter

Aksel Goehnermeier

Ralf Mueller

Albrecht Ehrmann

Bernhard Kneer

Rainer Hoch

Aurelian Dodoc

Michael Totzeck

Ulrich Weber

Armin Schoeppach

Andreas Wurmbrand

Olaf Conradi

Vladimir Kamenov

Dirk Hellweg

Dirk Juergens

Christian Wald

Peter Meyer

Hans-Juergen Mann

David R Shafer

Hubert Holderer

Heiko Feldmann

Dirk Heinrich Ehm

Hans-Juergen Rostalski

Susanne Beder

Christoph Zaczek

Juergen Fischer

Sonja Schneider

Alexandra Pazidis

Julian Kaller

Alexander Wolf

Nils Dieckmann

Johannes Zellner

Stefan-Wolfgang Schmidt

Johann Trenkler

Gerhard Fuerter

Moritz Becker

Markus Brotsack

Oliver Dier

Ralf Zweering

Karl Heinz Schuster

Hans Michael Stiepan

Gerd Reisinger

Daniel Golde

Karl-Stefan Weissenrieder

Stefan Kraus

Alexander Hirnet

Siegfried Rennon

Michael Lill

Albrecht Ranck

Juergen Mueller

Gordon Doering

Benjahman Julius Modeste

Harald Schink

Guenter Scheible, Legal Representative

Thomas Monz

Tobias Hackl

Christian Holland

Matthias Exler

Tilmann Assmus

A method for measuring a surface shape of an optical element, wherein the optical element has a main body with a substrate and a reflective surface, and wherein at least one cooling channel for receiving a coolant is formed in the substrate, comprising: a) recording a cooling channel pressure, b) recording a measurement environment pressure, c) determining a pressure difference based on the cooling channel pressure and the measurement environment pressure, d) comparing the pressure difference with a predetermined target pressure difference, e) monitoring for a deviation between the pressure difference and the target pressure difference, wherein, if a deviation greater than a predetermined limit value is detected, the cooling channel pressure is adapted in such a way that the deviation becomes less than or equal to the predetermined limit value, and f) measuring the surface shape if the deviation is less than or equal to the predetermined limit value.

Production method and measurement method

A stop, such as a numerical aperture stop, obscuration stop or false-light stop, for a lithography apparatus, includes a light-transmissive aperture and a stop element, in which or at which the aperture is provided. The stop element is opaque and fluid-permeable outside the aperture.

Stop, optical system and lithography apparatus

A projection lens of an EUV-lithographic projection exposure system with at least two reflective optical elements each comprising a body and a reflective surface for projecting an object field on a reticle onto an image field on a substrate if the projection lens is exposed with an exposure power of EUV light, wherein the bodies of at least two reflective optical elements comprise a material with a temperature dependent coefficient of thermal expansion which is zero at respective zero cross temperatures, and wherein the absolute value of the difference between the zero cross temperatures is more than 6K.

EUV exposure apparatus with reflective elements having reduced influence of temperature variation

A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a projection lens that is configured for immersion operation. For this purpose an immersion liquid is introduced into an immersion space that is located between a last lens of the projection lens on the image side and a photosensitive layer to be exposed. To reduce fluctuations of refractive index resulting from temperature gradients occurring within the immersion liquid, the projection exposure apparatus includes heat transfer elements that heat or cool partial volumes of the immersion liquid so as to achieve an at least substantially homogenous or at least substantially rotationally symmetric temperature distribution within the immersion liquid.

Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus and measuring device for a projection lens

A method of operating a projection exposure tool for microlithography is provided. The projection exposure tool has a projection objective for imaging object structures on a mask into an image plane using electromagnetic radiation, during which imaging the electromagnetic radiation causes a change in optical properties of the projection objective. The method comprises the steps of: providing the layout of the object structures on the mask to be imaged and classifying the object structures according to their type of structure, calculating the change in the optical properties of the projection objective effected during the imaging process on the basis of the classification of the object structures, and using the projection exposure tool for imaging the object structures into the image plane, wherein the imaging behavior of the projection exposure tool is adjusted on the basis of the calculated change of the optical properties in order to at least partly compensate for the change of the optical properties of the projection objective caused by the electromagnetic radiation during the imaging process.

Method of operating a projection exposure tool for microlithography

A lithography projection objective for imaging a pattern in an object plane onto a substrate in an image plane. The projection objective comprises a multiplicity of optical elements along an optical axis. The optical elements comprise a first group of optical elements following the object plane, and a last optical element, following the first group and next to the image plane. The projection objective is tunable or tuned with respect to aberrations for the case that the volume between the last optical element and the image plane is filled by an immersion medium with a refractive index substantially greater than 1. The position of the last optical element is adjustable in the direction of the optical axis. A positioning device is provided that positions at least the last optical element during immersion operation such that aberrations induced by disturbance are at least partially compensated.

Lithography projection objective, and a method for correcting image defects of the same

A mirror () for EUV lithography includes a substrate () and a reflective coating (). The reflective coating has a first group () of layers () and a second group () of layers (), wherein the first group and second group of layers () reflect radiation having a used wavelength between 5 nm and 30 nm. The first group of layers is arranged between the substrate and the second group of layers, and a decoupling coating () is arranged between the first group and second group of layers, said decoupling coating optically decoupling the second group of layers from the first group of layers by preventing the radiation having the used wavelength from reaching the first group of layers. The reflective coating preferably has a correction layer () having a layer thickness variation for correcting the surface form of the mirror.

Surface correction of mirrors with decoupling coating

The invention relates to an optical arrangement comprising: at least one optical element comprising an optical surface and a substrate, wherein the substrate is formed from a material whose temperature-dependent coefficient of thermal expansion at a zero crossing temperature &#x394;T=T&#x2212;Trelated to a reference temperature Tis equal to zero, wherein the optical surface has, during the operation of the optical arrangement, a location-dependent temperature distribution &#x394;T(x, y) that is dependent on a local irradiance (), is related to the reference temperature Tand has an average temperature &#x394;T, a minimum temperature &#x394;Tand a maximum temperature &#x394;T, wherein the average temperature &#x394;Tis less than the average value 1/2 (&#x394;T+&#x394;T) formed from the minimum temperature &#x394;Tand the maximum temperature &#x394;T, and wherein the zero crossing temperature &#x394;Tis greater than the average temperature &#x394;T.

Optical arrangement, EUV lithography apparatus and method for configuring an optical arrangement

Exposure apparatus and measuring device for a projection lens

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Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany

Ulrich Loering